Beitar Bushey believes they can win the Maccabi GB Southern Football League (MGBSFL) David Wolff Division Two Cup – having fallen just short of winning it last season.
A hat-trick from Seth Pribut on Sunday morning helped them kick-start their campaign in this year’s competition, as they beat Scrabble. Joe Glyn-Davies scored their fourth goal of the match, as they claimed victory in the group stage clash, with hopes high they can go one step further over the next few months.
Speaking after their 4-2 triumph, Bushey’s Daniel Gold said: “We got so close to winning this trophy last year, just losing out in a very closely fought final. We’ve come back to this trophy with a vengeance this year, and a determination that will be difficult to stop.”
Scrabble were definitely unable to stop them over the weekend, and according to Gold, the scoreline could have been more emphatic. “It definitely could – and should – have been more”, he said. “A few decisions didn't go our way, but our communication was spot on, we went in with the right attitude and it paid off.”
Delighted with the display the team put in, he added: “I was really pleased by today’s performance, it was much needed after a difficult few matches, the boys played really well and kept on top of the match.”
Elliott Salem and Zack Morris scored for Scrabble, for whom manager Ollie Sugarman said: “I think we put in a good performance, though we struggled to deal with their approach. We were fairly solid, especially considering we had a significantly weakened squad, but it felt like we lost the midfield battle which ultimately decided the game.”
Not believing the scoreline was a fair reflection of the game overall, he continued: “They took their chances well from set-pieces, and that was the main difference between the sides. If we compare this match to our first game of the season against them, it’s clear we have come on leaps and bounds. We now look capable of competing with any side we face.”
Reflecting on this defeat, on the back of finishing their league campaign bottom of the Division Two table, Sugarman is though not too downcast. He said: “I don’t feel our league position truly reflects our performances. We’ve had a number of close games this season that could easily have gone either way. This is our first year as a team, and we will definitely look back on it as a learning experience. Several of the boys had never played 11-a-side football before, and the majority had never played men’s football prior to this season. On top of that, we have a number of 17–18 year-olds who have taken a huge step up into men’s football this year. I do think a run in this competition is still possible. We have three games left in the league stage and will be pushing to finish in the top four to reach the semi-finals and final. We’ll have to see how things play out, but the aim is to finish the season strongly and then look ahead to a fresh start in the 2026/27 season.”
Elsewhere, Hendon United booked their place into the semi-finals of the David Wolff Premier Division Cup as they stunned the Premier Division champions HMH, 4-1. Mordy Weiler bagged a hat-trick, with Alex Randall also on target. Manager Alex Rosenthal said: “It was an outstanding team performance against a very good HMH side. I’m super proud of all the lads, it was a mature, disciplined display and shows what we’re capable of with a decent squad.”
One match in the Premier Division saw a goalless draw played out between Stoke Salmon and Yallatasary. The stalemate meant Salmon spurned the chance to move four points clear in second spot as they look to finish as runners-up in the table, while Yallatasary failed to open up a four-point gap between themselves and the bottom two sides.
Division One champions Sukkotingham Forest showed just why they hold that mantle as they brushed aside third-place Brady FC – denying them the chance to move up into second spot in the process – with a 5-2 win.
Adam Cahn scored twice, with Eytan Millan, Josh Morris and Josh Jacob also on target. Manager Sam Nagioff said: “It was a much-needed brilliant response from last week’s poor performance. We dominated Brady for large parts of the game and ran out deserved winners with multiple top performances from many of the boys.” Jordan Sapler and Jared Garfield scored for the beaten hosts.
There were also three ties played in the group stages of the Super Cup. Two goals from Josh Nathan, plus Ben Barnett’s strike, saw Stopinsky come away from Rapid Viennas with a 3-1 win. Manager Jacob Brand said: “We went 1-0 down in the first half, but gave a much better account of ourselves after the break. They were very difficult, but they finally cracked.”
Temple Fortune claimed their second win in the competition as two goals from Adam Grossman, plus Saul Simons’ strike and a Liam Stein penalty, gave them a 4-2 win over Hampstead Ducks.
The third fixture saw Bochur Juniors beat 40 Year Wanderers 4-0. Chaim Bordon scored twice, with Solly Levy and Mordy Grossberg also finding the back of the net. Manager Joel Ucko said: “It’s been a long time coming, but the most pleasing thing for me today was our first clean sheet this season and first win on grass this season.
“Over the course of the 90 minutes I thought we were magnificent. Proper front-foot football when it was there, disciplined when we needed to be, aggressive in the duels, winning second balls, doing the ugly stuff, doing the clever stuff, and looking every inch a proper side. We earned the right to play and when the moments came, we took them. Overall, I’m delighted.”
Wanderers’ manager Sam Anderson: "We need to put this tough group phase past us and rebuild confidence in ourselves".
Geez Park Rangers are through to the semi-finals of the Peter Morrison Trophy, after they won 7-3 at Lenton Orient. Zak Jackson and Mike Perkins bagged a treble each, with Sam Morris netting their seventh goal.
In the Maccabi Masters League, EHRS Stonegrove secured a third-place finish – their highest in 15 years – as they beat Temple Fortune 5-0. Nick Riesel scored a hat-trick, with Jake Masteran and Charlie Glaskie also scoring.
In the Charity Cup, goals from Ben Kent and Scott Ansher saw Brady beat Hendon Harriers 2-1, Andy Diamond netting for Harriers.
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